Bengal: TMC takes early lead in Kaliganj bypoll as counting underway
Kolkata (PTI): The Trinamool Congress took an early lead over its rivals as counting for the by-election to Kaliganj assembly seat in West Bengal's Nadia district was underway on Monday.
After the first round of counting, TMC candidate Alifa Ahamed secured 4,545 votes, while her nearest rival, Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by the CPI(M), bagged 1,830 votes. BJP nominee Ashis Ghosh was trailing in third position, securing 1,112 votes, election officials said.
Counting began at 8:00 am with the postal ballots. The process is underway peacefully, they added.
The bypoll was necessitated following the sudden demise of sitting TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February this year. His daughter, Alifa Ahamed, has been fielded by the party to retain the seat.
Polling for the by-election was held on Thursday, with a voter turnout of 69.85 per cent recorded till 5:00 pm. Barring a few isolated incidents, voting remained largely peaceful.
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Skeleton handed over to police, says Lawyer for Dharmasthala mass burials case complainant
Belthangady: A skeleton, allegedly buried as mentioned in the complaint related to the Dharmasthala mass burials case, has been exhumed and handed over to the Belthangady police. Pawan Deshpande, the lawyer representing the complainant, stated that all necessary legal procedures were followed and a formal statement was recorded before the judge.
The complainant, who has alleged the mass burial of bodies in Dharmasthala, appeared before the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC Court of Belthangady Taluk on July 11 to give his statement.
Speaking to the media after the court proceedings, advocate Pawan Deshpande said, “The complainant is prepared to clearly identify the locations where the bodies were buried. We will cooperate fully with the police on whatever date they set. Relevant information has already been submitted, and there is a concern that evidence could be destroyed. It is now the responsibility of the police to act and exhume the bodies as per the statement.”
When asked about the identity of the accused in the case, Deshpande clarified that the details have been submitted to the court and are with the investigating officer. “We do not have access to that information,” he said.
The lawyer also confirmed that the complainant has not been arrested or taken into police custody. “He is with us and will appear whenever the police direct him to. The complainant is cooperating with the investigation,” Deshpande added.
